Harbor Covenant to celebrate Easter with new campus

In the church calendar, Easter is a time of new beginnings. For Harbor Covenant, there’s a new beginning coming to Gig Harbor North.

The church, which is being called Harbor Covenant North Campus, will open its doors April 5 for two Easter services at Discovery Village.

Mark Willson, 43, will be the site pastor at the new location. Willson says the Gig Harbor North church is different from a church plant. Administration will still go through the main Harbor Covenant campus on Gustafson Drive. Sundays will be when the church opens its doors at Discovery Village.

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It’s different from a church plant, Willson said, because it will be open for services, but not have a separate governing body.

Having a northern campus is a way for the church to place itself in a new area that isn’t populated with many spiritual centers. Willson said the goal is to allow gatherers to walk to the church, especially from the larger housing developments that have sprung up in Gig Harbor North.

“I think we want to be a church that engages with our community. We want to add value to the community,” Harbor Covenant lead pastor Michael White said.

Dan and Rozina McKeegan, 33 and 34, respectively, are part of the core team for the new campus. While they’ve lived in Gig Harbor for about five years, they didn’t really connect with a church until finding Harbor Covenant last summer. The couple had tried churches in Tacoma as well, but wanted a community-centered church.

“We just didn’t think there was anything for us (on this side of the bridge),” Rozina said.

The two got connected with a weekly small group and say the church’s emphasis on relationships is what drew them there in the first place.

“I think a lot of it is being real with people,” Dan said. “It’s nice to have people that care about you.”

Harbor Covenant North Campus will have Easter services at 9 and 10:30 a.m. at Discovery Village, 4835 Borgen Boulevard.